Archive for the ‘Synth’ Category

Whether you like or loathe Death Grips – the Sacramento-based alt-hip-hop crew whose dense, dark beats come shuddering out of your speakers like a derailed freight train – you can’t deny that their approach to the mainstream music industry has always been somewhat … erm … unique. Massive underground hype saw them sign up with Epic Records in 2010, and unleash their first label release (‘The Money Store’).

The thing is: Death Grips are rebellious types. Upset with lack of attention they were getting from their record company – who promised to release their new album ‘No Love Deep Web’ next year – they took matters into their own hands and put the whole thing online today. They released a cheeky statement announcing that “the label will be hearing the album for the first time with you.”

‘Enjoy the music,’ Erin Barra insists at the start of this exclusive performance, ‘and spread the love.’ They’re a set of instructions that might as well have remained unspoken, as once you wrap your ears around Erin’s unique brand of ‘digital soul’ (exemplified perfectly with ‘Magician’) you’ll be more than willing to sit back and enjoy her sound.

And if any of you fancy your chances as a mixmaster, Erin has teamed up with ProAudiostar to launch a remix competition. You’ve got until October 1st to push your musical skills to the max on her track ‘Good Man’. Contest here and details in the handy video below:

It’s Friday, people, so you’ve got two choices. You can get home tonight, pour yourself a mug of hot chocolate and look forward to a long weekend of relaxation. Or you can put on your party clothes, hit the town and laugh in the face of the need for sleep.

If you’re going with the first one … well, there’s not much we can do to help you. Sorry. If you’re siding with the party animals, then a quick view of the above video should get you in the mood. Immerse yourself in the pulse-pounding beats of Nicoluminous, with this exclusive performance of ‘Love Star’ taken from this year’s Photosynthesis festival.

And if you like what you see/hear here, then you’ll be delighted to learn you can download Nicoluminous’ brand new EP ‘808 And Earthquakes’ absolutely free. What are you waiting for?

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll already be familiar with the wonderfully insane stylings of HOTTUB. If you were to put Northern State, The Go Team and Le Tigre into a blender … well, you’d be arrested. But before you got arrested, you’d have created something that sounds a little like this crazily intense Oakland three-piece. We’re throwing one of their vintage and raucous SXSW performances your way today – in the shape of the hyperkinetic ’1-2-3 Go’.

Seeing as the multiplexes have been clogged up with infinite numbers of superhero movies these past few years, you’d be forgiven for thinking that The Superhumanoids was a brand new film full of mindless explosions and headache-inducing 3D effects. Well: not only would you be wrong, but you’d be denying yourself the opportunity to check out a great band. The Superhumanoids are a Los-Angeles-based quartet whose mission statement is to create music which ‘kisses the doldrums away’. It’s a mission they’re evidently succeeding in, as you can see in the video above: an exclusive performance of ‘Hey Big Bang’, taken from our SXSW showcase archives.

And if you want more of these guys (who wouldn’t?), SF locals can swing by Cafe Du Nord on Sep 3 – next Monday – to experience ‘em in the flesh.

Few things can legitimately label themselves American artistic institutions, but the Burning Man festival – a week-long odyssey of music, dance and general extravaganza that has been held annually in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert since 1986 – is one of them. Hundreds of great acts (musical or otherwise) have performed under the baking desert over the years, and this year’s line-up is just as awesome as it has always been.

It’s so awesome, infact, that it includes a couple of artists who have previously worked with BAMM (which, as we’re sure we don’t need to tell you, is a definitive mark of quality). If you’re lucky enough to be attending the festival when it starts today, be sure to catch the electronic soundscapes of the Human Experience, who has previously thrilled BAMM with some exclusive performances:

A set from innovative percussive musical explorer Jamie Janover is also scheduled for the festival. Now, we’ve yet to release the exclusive performance BAMM.tv recorded with Jamie (patience, people, patience) but this clip of Jamie playing the Vogue theatre in Vancouver may give you some idea of what to expect:

So: any of you at the festival itself? Share your experiences in the comments section below!

We’ve mentioned Baltimore genre-mashers Animal Collective approximately a gazillion times before, and we’re going to do it again – simply because we’re the sort of gibbering superfans who worship the very ground they walk on. Their last album (2009’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’) has already established itself as pretty much one of the all-time greats, and we’re therefore hugely excited about their upcoming release ‘Centipede Hz,’ which is scheduled to hit the racks on September 4.

If you can’t wait until then, you should check out next Sunday’s edition of Animal Collective Radio (well, you should really be listening to it every week if you want to retain any credibility, but that’s beside the point). The boys will be premiering the album in full, so you can revel in the crazy new sounds a few weeks before owning a copy.

And that still doesn’t tide you over, here’s the first material from ‘Centipede Hz’, in the form of recent single ‘Today’s Supernatural':

Few festivals in the world match the sheer fun and scope of Outside Lands – a yearly extravaganza whereby San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is transformed from a thriving hub to an even bigger thriving hub. One with a shedload of awesome bands playing. Aug 10 – 12th, people … it’s right around the corner.

This year, four of these great acts happen to have worked with BAMM.tv before – and, as you should all know by now, that’s a bigger seal of quality than Superb Q. McQuality’s Special Brand Of Quality Sealing (established in 1908, the more quality year of all time).

The acts themselves? None other than Infantree, Geographer, Wallpaper and The Brothers Comatose. If you’ve got tickets to the festival, you need to check these guys out. If you haven’t (or even if you have, and just fancy a sneak peek of the great things in store) we’ve got a treat for you – four performances from the BAMM archives.

When one member of the BAMM team was young, he used to have an action figure (the cartoon it originated from is long forgotten) which was a pretty awesome-looking robot vulture. An assortment of LED lights and crazy noises would emit once the buttons were pressed, striking the fear of god into any other toys who dared to cross its path. Unfortunately, one day the young man inserted the batteries into the toy incorrectly, which resulted in internal damage and limited functionality. As such, the very mention of a ‘Birds And Batteries’ combination has been enough to drive him to tears ever since.

Until now.

Whenever Birds & Batteries are mentioned now, the first thing which springs to mind is the brilliant, slick, synth-backed, funky, dreamy and harmonious sounds of the band in the video above. The BAMM team was hugely proud to feature Birds & Batteries at one of our packed-out SXSW showcases last year – and we’ve decided to revisit the experience and share a particular highlight with you, in the shape of the insanely catchy ‘Trouble Makes Three’.

Aaaaaaaand if you like what you hear above, you should be very excited about tomorrow (Aug 7th). Why? Because that’s when Birds And Batteries are releasing their brand new album ‘Stray Light’. 2012 has been a year of many must-buy albums, particularly from artists who have worked with BAMM – and this one is no different.

Infact, don’t just take our word for it. Have a listen to the whole darn thing below: